US road safety continues to improve

Road safety continues to improve according to the latest figures from the US Department of Transportation. The recorded data shows that in 2009 the US had the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1954.
February 7, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

Road safety continues to improve according to the latest figures from the 324 US Department of Transportation. The recorded data shows that in 2009 the US had the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1954. This is the 15th consecutive year that fatality rates have fallen. The projected fatality data for 2009 places the highway death count at 33,963, a drop of 8.9% as compared to the 37,261 deaths reported in 2008. The fatality rate for 2009 declined to the lowest on record, to 1.16 fatalities per 160 million vehicle km travelled (VKT), down from 1.25 fatalities per 160 million VKT in 2008.

It is extremely significant too that fatality rates are now lower than in 1954, when significantly fewer vehicles were on the roads and when average speeds were lower. Some of these safety gains can be attributed to laws against drink driving, instalment and mandatory use of seatbelts and improved car design with the development of crumple zones and ABS brakes. However US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood cautioned, “There are still far too many people dying in traffic accidents. Drivers need to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their focus on the road in order to stay safe.”

The 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) attributes the decline in 2009 to a combination of factors that include: high visibility campaigns like Click It or Ticket to increase seat belt use, and Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest which helps with the enforcement of state laws to prevent drunk driving and distracted driving. In addition, the decline is also the result of safer roads, safer vehicles and motorists driving less. “This continuing decline in highway deaths is encouraging, but our work is far from over,” said NHTSA head David Strickland. “We want to see those numbers drop further. We will not stop as long as there are still lives lost on our nation’s highways. We must continue our efforts to ensure seat belts are always used and stay focused on reducing distracted and impaired driving.”

NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to produce annual reports on traffic fatality trends.

Related Content

  • Substantial demand ‘underscores need for TIGER grants’
    August 3, 2015
    US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced that applications to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for its seventh round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants totalled US$9.8 billion, almost 20 times the US$500 million set aside for the program, demonstrating the continued need for transportation investment nationwide. Among the 625 applications for grants received this year, 60 per cent are road projects, 18 per cent are transit projects, and eight p
    Read More
  • Road safety - the challenge ahead
    April 25, 2012
    More than 1.3 million people die in road accidents each year. If nothing is done, this already chilling figure risks to rise to 1.9 million deaths per year. Around 90 per cent of road fatalities occur in emerging and developing countries. Here, the mixture of population growth and higher numbers of vehicles due to rising incomes are proving a deadly combination, as infrastructure and regulatory environment have difficulty keeping pace.
    Read More
  • Low-costs solutions to improve pedestrian safety
    May 8, 2015
    David Crawford welcomes low-cost safety initiatives for pedestrians in America. Some 10 people die each week in accidents on crosswalks in the US, that’s more than 10% of all pedestrian fatalities in road traffic incidents - the number of which is running at a five-year high. Ensuring crosswalks are safe is key in supporting the growing enthusiasm for walking as a travel mode. In the last decade of the 20th century, numbers walking to work in the US fell by 26%; while, as recently as 2012, Americans were e
    Read More
  • Corruption corrodes confidence as ITS battles to improve safety
    October 13, 2015
    News items and articles in this issue illustrate the highs and lows of ITS and the dilemma inherent in enforcement application. An IIHS report showing that speed cameras change motorists' behaviour beyond the immediate vicinity of the installations is further evidence of the positive influence the technology can have, however the guilty plea in the Chicago red light corruption case serves to undermine the entire concept.
    Read More

Highlighted Content